Various mechanical egg processing systems are used to process avian eggs within a poultry hatchery facility. Such mechanical egg processing systems may include, for example, a transfer system for transferring eggs from a tray associated with a setter incubator (commonly referred to as a “flat”) to a container associated with a hatcher incubator (commonly referred to as a “hatching basket”). In other instances, an example of such mechanical egg processing systems may include an egg removal system for removing certain eggs from the flats. In some instances, such mechanical egg processing systems may combine features from the transfer system and the egg removal system. Still another example of such mechanical egg processing systems may include an in ovo injection system for injecting a treatment substance into the eggs. Finally, another example of such mechanical egg processing systems may include a sampling system for removing a sample material from the eggs for analysis.
Typically, the eggs enter any one of these mechanical egg processing systems in egg flats. At any point during or prior to processing by the mechanical egg processing systems, the eggs may be subjected to a candling procedure, which may be either a manual or automated process. The candling procedure identifies or otherwise classifies the eggs according to a predetermined classification scheme (generally, viable or non-viable). During manual candling, the eggs may be physically marked (e.g., with a marker) by a worker according to the classification scheme or otherwise processed (e.g., removed from the flat) by the worker according to the classification. In automated candling systems, each egg may receive a classification status and a corresponding classification signal that can be transferred to a controller system (or to the mechanical egg processing system) for appropriate processing thereof. For example, the candling system may identify eggs within a flat as either viable or non-viable. The candling system may then transmit that classification information to an egg removal system such that all the eggs classified as non-viable are removed from the flat.
Eggs processed within such mechanical egg processing systems may include eggs that are classified as non-viable (i.e., those eggs not containing a viable embryo according to the candling system), which may be further sub-classified as, for example, infertile, rotten, or dead eggs. In this regard, the non-viable eggs may undesirably transfer biological material to components of the mechanical egg processing system during interaction therewith. Such biological material transferred to the components of the mechanical egg processing system may then be transferred to the next egg interacting with the same respective component during subsequent processing of the next flat. That is, by interacting with non-viable eggs, the potential exists for the components of the mechanical egg processing system to facilitate transfer of the biological material of non-viable eggs to viable eggs. Furthermore, in some instances, eggs may become pressurized due to bacterial build-up therewithin such that any contact therewith may cause the egg to explode (a so-called “popper”).
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an egg processing system capable of selectively directing interaction of its components with eggs contained within an egg flat in either an engaging or non-engaging manner so as to control interaction with undesirable eggs. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide an associated method that would facilitate selective interaction of mechanical components of an egg processing system with eggs, according to an egg classifications scheme.